Reviews - I giorni dell'abbandono

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

2.96k reviews for:

I giorni dell'abbandono

Elena Ferrante

3.91 AVERAGE

cinim's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

glamorousnymph's review against another edition

4.0

emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

j_butler's review against another edition

4.0

fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

hrc0307's review against another edition

3.0

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kydneybean's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Elena Ferrante is considered one of the greatest writers currently alive. And I have been interested in her work from the moment I learned about her. While My Brilliant Friend seemed daunting, when I learned about The Days of Abandonment, I thought it would be a perfect introduction into her work. On some level, I was right, but on other levels I was so so wrong.

The premise and the ways I've heard others talk of this book, I was ready for a scathing commentary on men who use, manipulate, and ultimately leave their wives for another, younger woman to continue the cycle of abuse. And parts of it were there. Olga, our main character, married her husband Mario very young. She quit her job when he told her to, lost herself in motherhood, and tried to always make herself an demure and agreeable wife. And yet, 15 years into their marriage, Mario leaves her to take care of the house, the children, and the dog he brought home but she never wanted all by herself while he gallivanted around Italy with her new woman. It's a horrifying reality for many woman across the globe and I couldn't want to see what Ferrante brought to a story like this.

Her writing is beautiful, detailed but not overly so, and taps into a human psyche so well. Olga makes some rash decisions while processing the grief of being abandoned, and some, while societally unacceptable, are understandable.

I specially got a big kick out of Olga beating the shit out of Mario when she finally spots him with his new woman. It may be crazy, but who amongst us hasn't fantasized about doing just that.

Where Ferrante lost me was during Olga's interactions with Otto, the dog, or her children, three individuals who relied on Olga to care for them and instead she neglected, mocked, and even abused them.

She beats Otto our in public, she leaves her sick children unattended for what feels like hours instead of taking them to get medical care, she verbally abuses her children because they want to see their father or because she already has a preconceived notion that her son will grow up exactly like her husband and will lust after Carla.

I like fucked up women, and maybe I wasn't set up to fully understand that Olga was going to lose it in a dark, dark, dark way after being abandoned by her husband, but I just couldn't root for Olga to make it through those awful days.

I also couldn't get behind Olga's hatred for Carla. Yes, her husband stepped out of their marriage with her and it's easy to blame the woman instead of take all of that anger out on the man you've spent years of your life and share children with.

But every time Olga called Carla a whore or a slut, all I could think is that she was a 15-year-old when Mario met her. And by Olga's account, she believed they've been together secretly for five years until they could finally be in a public relationship BECAUSE CARLA WAS FINALLY OF AGE. This man groomed her from the day he met her as a teenager and that wasn't brought up once! He's not only a cheater but a pedophile! Why aren't we talking about that?!

I am really upset that this is the first Ferrante book that I read because I didn't like it. I am still interested in reading her other books (specifically My Brilliant Friend and the other books in that series), so I will not give up hope that those books are as great as everyone says they are. But The Days of Abandonment unfortunately left a sour taste for her storytelling in my mouth.